Microsoft faces new Office standards battle

Britain's BSI asked to challenge ISO approval of Open XML formats

The British Standards Institute ( BSI ) is being urged to object to recognition of Microsoft’s new office formats as an international standard.

The Open XML formats have already been approved as a standard by the European Computer Manufacturers Association ( ECMA ) but they will need to be endorsed by the International Standards Organisation to get global approval.

Several government-level organisations, notably the European Commission, have indicated that an open standard is needed to allow the easy exchange of documents between different platforms. The EC says  Open XML is not truly open because Microsoft retains control over its development.

The rival Open Document Format (ODF) has already been adopted as a standard by ISO, but there is nothing to stop it endorsing two standards. Microsoft stands to lose lucrative government contracts if the issue is not resolved.

ECMA approval is regarded as a quick route an ISO standard. But opponents are given the opportunity to lodge what are quaintly called “contradictions” – but only via authorised national institutions, which in Britain’s case is the BSI.

Two organisations, Open Forum Europe (OFE) and the ODF Alliance, issued a statement today saying the 5th February 2007 deadline for this is far too soon for proper consideration of the OOXML specification, which is 6,000 pages long.

The OFE published on its site a letter it has sent to the BSI calling for it to issue a “contradiction”. It says there are a number of detailed concerns but the need for open standards both for the “marketplace and the national interest” meant the issues were not purely technical.

OFE chief executive Graham Taylor wrote in the letter that there were a number of issues that might preclude third-party vendors implementing the OOXML formats, and whether they will be given rights to use the formats fully.

Taylor agreed today that the familiar existing Office formats are a de facto standard by virtue of the fact that they are used by nine in ten desktops across the world. He also agreed that there was a chance that this would happen with the new formats.

But this is also a battle Microsoft could lose. Taylor said: “You have to look at how many governments across the world are looking at open standards to avoid being locked in to a supplier.”

Microsoft has repeatedly denied any “conspiracy” to lock users into its products. Lead software engineers told PCW last year that they created their own XML-based formats because it was simply too complicated to re-engineer Microsoft Office while trying to reconcile them with a tortuous standard process.

The new formats go public on Tuesday with the simultaneous consumer launch of Microsoft Office 2007and Vista. The could be approved as an ISO standard within three months unless "contradictions" are lodged.

If the BSI does take up the cudgels it will be taking a different stance from another great British institution. The British Library was one of Microsoft's backers when it submitted Open XML to ECMA.

See here for BSI response